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A mini-helicopter is seen in this undated handout photo. Manitoba RCMP are the latest police force to adopt mini-helicopters to give officers a bird's-eye view of crash and crime scenes. The helicopters are equipped with high-definition cameras that can stream photos and video to officers on the ground
The Canadian Press/RCMP/Handout

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The changes are spelled out in a detailed RCMP blueprint for reforming
witness protection with assistance from the federal Public Safety Department and
the provinces. Although the paper was completed in May, 2010, it was released
only now under the Access to Information Act.

RCMP spokeswoman Laurence Trottier – while providing few details – confirmed
that at least some changes have already been introduced. She added that the
witness protection program “continues to rapidly evolve.” The program,
administered by the Mounties, provides measures ranging from short-term
protection to permanent relocation and identity changes. The RCMP spent more
than $9-million on the program in 2011-12.

Revelations five years ago that a protectee committed murder while in the
program triggered a reviewand discussion that continues to this day. The federal
government has been working for years on revamping the witness protection regime
following recommendations from a Commons committee, an inquiry into the 1985 Air
India bombing and extensive consultations with the provinces. Several provinces
have their own witness protection programs, but often they provide only
short-term assistance. In addition, obtaining new federal identity documents for
protectees requires co-operation with the Mounties.

The RCMP paper says whether the provinces opt for their own programs or not,
the Mounties must ensure its witness protection services are “better able to
respond to current challenges” such as street and youth gang violence.

As a result, the Mounties propose the admission criteria for the federal
program be expanded to accommodate “a broader spectrum of eligible witnesses,”
the paper says.

“While this is a shift from our current practice, it is based on sound
principles,” the document says.

“This position also demonstrates our willingness to assist our municipal
police colleagues who are struggling with ever increasing violence within their
communities.”

A review of best practices and consultations with other countries revealed
that the use of psychologists would “greatly assist” in determining whether
someone was suitable for protection and possible relocation, says the
blueprint.

“The creation of a protocol to evaluate the psycho-social personality traits
of the protectees is considered an essential element in the admission
process.”

It would help the RCMP predict future criminal or anti-social behaviour and
evaluate the capacity of the person and their family members to adapt to the
witness program, says the paper.

In an effort to ease the transition, the RCMP also proposes creation of a
national orientation centre where new protectees would have access to social
workers, financial advisers, health specialists, cultural experts, psychologists
and specially trained legal personnel.

“Information sessions will educate protectees on the challenges of adjusting
to new identities, integration into a new community, personal security, and the
myriad of social issues that they may face.”

The centre is a “crucial element” that will allow the RCMP and federal
government to sustain public scrutiny and be able to say that the best possible
efforts have been made to administer this “high-risk, high-liability program,”
the paper adds.

The Air India commission said it was a conflict of interest for a police
agency with a stake in ensuring sources agree to become witnesses to also make
decisions about admission into a witness protection program.

The RCMP says greater independence in admission decisions can be achieved
through measures like the psychological assessment and consultation with the
prosecutor assigned to the file, to weigh the value of the witness’s
evidence.

The paper recommends the program be overseen by an independent advisory
committee that may include representatives of the police and legal community as
well as the corrections, mental health and medical spheres.

In addition to “bolstering public confidence,” the committee would make
recommendations to the RCMP commissioner, lobby for amendments to legislation,
address conflicts with the provinces and respond to public inquiries, adds the
blueprint.

“We must ensure that the public maintains its confidence in the way the
program is administered.”

The RCMP paper says officials rejected the idea of combining the various
witness programs across the country under one umbrella. “There was a concern
that such a model would encroach on the provincial responsibility for the
administration of justice.” There would also be a component of the federal
program dedicated to “providing an optimum level of service to our provincial
partners,” says the paper. Though the Conservatives haven’t yet come forward
with changes to the legislation that governs the witness program, nor an
independent advisory committee, it has committed to simplifying the process of
obtaining documents needed to give someone a new name.

It has also promised better training for co-ordinators and handlers of
protectees and introduction of changes to ensure “more transparency and
accountability” concerning decisions as to who gets into the witness
program.

The RCMP’s Ms. Trottier said significant changes have been made to the
training provided to program members to better equip them with advanced
skills.

In addition, changes currently being introduced include the use of
specialists in the psychological and social fields to ensure the entry of new
protectees is “as seamless as possible,” she said in an e-mailed statement.

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